Tag Archives: Janet Yellen

Federal Reserve Chair Janet Yellen had a busy week, making semi-annual appearances before the House Financial Services Committee on Wednesday and the Senate Banking Committee on Thursday. In both hearings, Yellen addressed the subject of the much-anticipated federal funds range increase.

Despite removing the “patient” policy, the Federal Open Market Committee remained steady on the belief that interest rates will not increase by their April meeting. Fed Chair Janet Yellen emphasized in a press conference following the meeting, the removal of the pledge doesn’t mean Fed rates will increase by June.

In recent interviews, the Fed has made it clear they want to move away from the pledge to be patient. They have held their benchmark short-term rate, the federal funds rate, near zero since December 2008. The lackluster housing market was concern on Yellen’s mind when she gave the speech emphasizing the patience pledge.

Federal Reserve Chair Janet Yellen in her testimony to Congress on Wednesday said the Fed would be using "patience" on deciding when to increase interest rates. Yellen was cautious about citing any particular date for the increase, citing slow productivity growth as one of the reasons for the delay.

In a statement released Wednesday following the end of the Federal Open Market Committee's latest meeting, the Fed announced that starting in October, it will dial back its monthly purchases of agency mortgage-backed securities and Treasury securities to a combined pace of $15 billion per month. Barring any significant setback in the economy in the next month, the committee announced it could end its asset purchases at its October meeting.

A new survey from the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco finds investors aren't buying in to the central bank's projections of interest rate increases in the coming years. The San Francisco Fed's report comes one week before the FOMC announces its next economic policy move—and before Fed Chair Janet Yellen is scheduled to give her own hints at the central bank's timeline.

Federal Reserve Chair Janet Yellen called for moderation in monetary policy in a major speech on Friday as the economy continued to show signs of a slow but steady recovery. Speaking from Jackson Hole, Wyoming, the central banker hailed a falling unemployment rate and improving payroll figures but held back from calling it significant enough process to notch up still-low interest rates.

The House Financial Services Committee passed a reform bill this week to require the Federal Reserve to adopt a "more predictable rules-based" monetary policy. The Fed has already warned of serious trouble if the nation's central bank were held to formal policy regarding its ability to set interest rates.

The Conference Board's Leading Economic Index (LEI) edged up 0.3 percent last month to 102.2, flattening out slightly after May's 0.7 percent pickup. Conference Board economist Ataman Oxyildirim attributed the increase to ongoing positive trends in the labor market and an improved outlook for new manufacturing orders, which have helped offset some of the weakness observed in housing so far this year.

Freddie Mac released Thursday the results of its latest Primary Mortgage Market Survey, showing the average 30-year fixed-rate mortgage (FRM) coming in at an interest rate of 4.13 percent (0.6 point) for the week ending July 17. Bankrate.com's survey was similarly flat, with both the 30- and 15-year fixed averages falling 1 basis point each.